Eller Beck improvement for biodiversity and local communities

2 November 2023

Tees Rivers Trust, working with the North Pennines AONB Partnership through the Farming in Protected Landscapes and Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected programmes, has completed work on Eller Beck to remove a weir and concrete crossing at Rutherford Bridge, and build a steel section bailey bridge.

The Eller Beck improvements were delivered with funding of £100,000 from the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, administered in the AONB by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by Defra, and funding of £54,000 from the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected programme, led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership in collaboration with the Yorkshire Dales National Park and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players.

This project will have a positive impact on local biodiversity. The weir has been a major barrier to fish migration and its removal will enable all species of fish to access approximately ten kilometres of the beck network further upstream.

Completing the project was a priority to the Tees Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency as Eller Beck is a tributary of the River Greta in the Tees catchment. The River Greta is one of four principle tributaries of the Upper Tees but is the only one that is not impounded by a reservoir. Although the health of the river has improved over the years, fish passage remains an issue downstream at the Tees Barrage. However, there has been a gradual recovery of migratory fish species and the purpose of this project has been to increase habitat availability for all fish species in this un-impounded tributary.

Ben Lamb, trust manager for Tees Rivers Trust, said: “The biodiversity of the Eller Beck will increase as all species of fish will be able to move freely throughout the system. In surveys, undertaken before the removal of the weir, brown trout, Atlantic salmon, minnow, bullhead, stone loach, brook lamprey, European eel were found below the weir. Brown trout, Atlantic salmon, and European eel are all on the red list for conservation concern. The ‘minor’ species, such as minnow and bullhead, are an important food source for other fish, birds, and mammals.”.

The improved biodiversity of Eller Beck, because of the naturalised channel, in turn enriches the wider ecology with the increasing fish and invertebrate numbers providing a food source for bird and mammal species.

Removal of the weir will reduce flood risk at this location as the geomorphology of the beck will become more naturalised, enabling more movement of gravel and sediment through the system. This will make the environment more resilient to climate change, and extreme rainfall events, in the future.

The benefits of the project will extend to the local farming community via an event, in partnership with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment, focusing on managing watercourses and river catchments to realise their potential for the farm business. This will include exploring the potential to maximise income from biodiversity and nutrient neutrality demand.

The work will also support the Tees Angling Passport which aims to attract more anglers to the river and bring additional spend to the local economy and rural businesses. Tees Rivers Trust is developing a network of small stream locations where fishing for small brown trout is a challenge, as part of the passport. Eller Beck is a good offer for this, which in turn could bring additional income to the farm.

The project has contributed to the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s outcome to look after our natural and cultural heritage. The landscape delivers more for nature, farmers and the public, including climate change mitigation and other natural services; the landscape quality and character is protected and enhanced, whilst ensuring essential development takes place; and more and bigger areas of habitat are better connected and managed, and biodiversity loss is reversed.

Claire Hodgson, programme manager for Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected, said: “We’re delighted to see the completion of this project, the first project of the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected programme to be finished. We’ll be interested to see the results of monitoring over the next few years to see the difference it has made to fish migration.”.

Media enquiries

For further information and alternative images, contact the communications team at the North Pennines AONB Partnership, email: communications@northpenninesaonb.org.uk or call 01388 528801.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits foe people, places, and the natural environment.

We help protect, transform, and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk

The North Pennines is one of England’s most special places – a peaceful, unspoilt landscape with a rich history and vibrant natural beauty. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. The purpose of this nationally recognised designation is the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of the area. At almost 2,000 sq. kilometres the North Pennines is the second largest of the 46 AONBs (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk for information about the AONB family.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership is an alliance of 24 public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the AONB. The work of the Partnership is carried out by its Staff Unit which takes action to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to raise awareness of its special qualities and to improve the quality of life for local people.

UNESCO Global Geopark.  As well as being an AONB the North Pennines is a UNESCO Global Geopark. This puts the area’s Geopark status in the same UNESCO family as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Global Geoparks are places with outstanding geology where special effort is made to make the most of geological heritage to support community and economy. Locally this includes producing geo-trails, developing projects with school and community groups, producing displays for visitor attractions and holding geology festivals and events.

Tees Rivers Trust is a charitable organisation, established in 2008, committed to the management and improvement of the whole of the Tees Catchment. The trust’s key areas of work are research, education and practical habitat improvements which have an environmental, economic, and social impact.

Farming in Protected Landscapes  the programme is managed in the North Pennines by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and offers grants to farmers and land managers to carry out projects that support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and cultural heritage, or support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses.

Tees-Swale: naturally connected.  The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working with partner organisations to deliver a major natural heritage programme that focuses on the landscape and communities of Upper Teesdale and Swaledale, covering 829 square kilometres of Teesdale in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Inspired by the report ‘Making Space for Nature’, the programme aims to restore, expand and connect habitats across the uplands of Teesdale and Swaledale, showcasing how public funds can enhance wildlife and deliver multiple public benefits. The ethos of the programme is to work closely and in partnership with farmers, landowners and conservation agencies from the outset. In so doing, we will build the relationships and establish the skills required to sustain our High Nature Value farming systems.
High Nature Value farming is a term used to describe low intensity farming systems that are particularly valuable for wildlife, the environment and people. The concept of knowledge exchange will be a core principle of the programme, with farmers encouraged to share their land management skills and experience in order to target habitat improvement and restoration, in a way that allows the whole farm to work as a system.